The Importance of Digital Communication: Examples, Features and Types
Businesses rely on digital communications to connect with their existing customers and help attract new prospects. This multichannel communications approach covers all types of digital communication your business has with customers, including through your social media platforms, emails, phone calls, video meetings, instant messaging, or other channels. Digital communication tools are essential for managing communications with customers, gaining new customer insights, and ensuring a good digital customer experience.
What is digital communication?
With the growing number of digital platforms and the need for an online business presence, more and more organizations rely on digital communications to exchange information and communicate with both customers and their employees. All of your online two-way communication efforts make up digital communications, with platforms and other digital devices enabling you to have instant connectivity to consumers and staff, regardless of their location.
Digital communication is designed for the modern work environment, connecting people over distances. Whether you’re conducting a remote US-based focus group through video conferencing or sending emails to stakeholders around the globe, digital communications make this possible.
A digital communications system is made up of several parts: the transmitter, a communication channel, and the receiver. The transmitter sends the information or message to the channel you’re using, which may be a web-connected platform or digital device like a smartphone, and then the channel sends it to the receiver. Digital communication starts as an analog signal but is then digitally transformed so it can be transmitted faster and without data loss.
Businesses have used digital communication tools for decades, though the digital technology used now—smartphones and artificial intelligence (AI)—is much more sophisticated than the telegraph or early telephones first used. Knowing how to best use it in your business can help you develop more effective communication methods.
6 Types of Digital Communication and Examples
Digital communication powers real-time communication and the transfer of ideas and other data. Here are six types of digital communication you can use to transform your business.
Social Media
Creating a business social media account is beneficial for numerous purposes. Organizations looking for professional networking opportunities can connect with other companies and individuals in their field on LinkedIn, while ecommerce retailers will benefit more from Instagram or Facebook, where they can easily communicate with customers.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology enables digital voice calls and video messaging so businesses and customers can place and receive calls over the Internet. It replaces long-distance landline calls, which were more costly for businesses. Apps like Skype, WhatsApp, or Zoom are a few VoIP options your business can use.
This form of communication is one of the most widely used, helping businesses and customers easily send and receive messages. Email is a great way to send documents and other information to a colleague. Businesses often use email for marketing purposes and customer support, helping boost customer engagement and improve their digital experience.
Instant Messaging
Exchange text-based messages in real-time through messaging platforms like Slack, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. Instant messaging allows your business to quickly get in touch with customers and communicate more efficiently with colleagues and clients.
Video Conferencing
Companies with multiple offices and/or remote workers benefit from tools like Zoom and Google Meet. These video conferencing tools help your team stay aligned, even if they work separately. And, real-time video communication reduces misunderstandings that arise from text-based communications such as emails and instant messages. Your business can also connect with customers through video conferencing. Think one-on-one video consultations, remote focus groups, or personalized customer support services.
Chatbots
AI-powered chatbots help your business communicate with customers around the clock. This form of instant messaging is typically found on a business’s website, helping customers find information faster, get answers to their FAQs, and more. You can operate chatbots independently or include them as part of your customer support team to manage customer communications and improve the overall experience for your customers.
5 Benefits of Digital Communication
Here are a few benefits your business can expect with digital communications:
Improves Collaboration
A main benefit of digital communications is being able to choose when and how you want to communicate with others. Some digital communication tools are asynchronous, giving people more flexibility in when and how they communicate with others. You can send an email or a text message to a colleague or customer when it’s convenient for you, and they can respond on their own schedule. With digital communication tools, it’s easy to collaborate with others in your business, no matter their location.
Digital communication also allows you to instantly connect and share information through real-time forms like VoIP, chatbots, and video conferencing. Your business can connect with your target audience or employees from across the country and benefit from the same insights you’d gain through an in-person conversation.
Reduces Costs
Digital communication technology is also more affordable. Many social media platforms, instant messaging services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools are free to use or offer free options. Not only does this save your business money, but it’s more accessible for your customers to use, too. Digital communication also makes it easier to share information, such as sending files through email, reducing costs associated with printing and shipping documents.
Allows Businesses To Streamline Operations
Many digital communication channels include automation features to improve productivity and increase the efficiency of your business operations. For example, your email platform can automatically send a welcome series of emails when someone subscribes to your company’s email list or a reminder email when a customer doesn’t complete a purchase. Automation and digital communication take the repetitive, mundane tasks off your employees’ plates so they can focus on more revenue-generating work.
Better Customer Service
Your business can respond to customer inquiries and address problems faster using digital communications. With more options available for support, customers can choose their preferred communication channel—whether opting for a more traditional phone call or text-based support through a chatbot or instant messaging platform. Automated chatbots and messaging can help solve smaller problems, leaving your customer support team free to handle more complex cases.
Enables Remote Working
Without digital communication, remote working wouldn’t be possible. Project management, email, video conferencing, and other tools allow workers to collaborate and share information instantly, even if they’re working in different time zones. Digital communication enables people to work from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.
10 Digital Communication Tools for Businesses
Your business can choose from asynchronous and synchronous digital communication tools to improve workplace collaboration and customer engagement. Here are 10 essential tools to consider for your organization:
Email Platforms
Brick-and-mortar retailers, ecommerce sites, and service providers all benefit from email marketing. Many email platforms offer segmentation and personalization features, helping your business not only connect but also improve engagement with consumers through helpful, relevant communications. They also allow you to automate email campaigns and send trigger emails after specific events, such as visiting a product page or leaving an item in your checkout cart.
Instant Messaging
This type of tool allows your customers and employees to connect and share information in an instant.
Slack
Your workers can connect and collaborate with other team members, whether in the office or working remotely, through Slack. With its Channels and Chat Messaging features, you can create specific channels for each department, like customer service and marketing, so your teams can stay focused and on track with their own objectives.
This free messaging app enables you to connect with people around the world, both through text messaging and calls. Organizations can choose from the WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business Platform to connect and manage customer communications and drive more sales. It also offers end-to-end encryption for greater privacy for your business and your customers.
Video Conferencing
These synchronous digital communication tools allow you to communicate with colleagues or customers face-to-face.
Zoom
Remote workers and businesses use Zoom to stay connected through virtual meetings. This tool brings workers together across time zones, improving collaboration. Plus, communicating through video gives you more context through tone and facial expressions, helping reduce miscommunications that can happen through email and text-based chats.
Google Meet
Connect with employees or customers through Google’s video conferencing tool. Like Zoom, Google Meet offers both video and audio conferencing options. Users can connect with each other in seconds using their smartphones, tablets, or computers. It also offers live captioning as participants speak for greater accessibility.
Project Management Tools
Encourage greater collaboration and communication in your workplace with these project management tools:
Trello
With Trello, your team works from one centralized location, even when working remotely in different areas. Departments and teams can organize their workflows through boards, lists, and cards to stay on top of tasks and ensure they meet deadlines.
Asana
Asana uses a single shared hub to organize projects and tasks. It gives your business a bird’s eye view of your performance so you can easily identify bottlenecks and make corrections. With Asana’s automatic updates, users can quickly track their tasks to improve collaboration and productivity.
Social Media Platforms
Over 60 percent of the global population are social media users, making the platforms ideal for connecting with customers.
Your organization can build its own online business profile to grow brand awareness and communicate with customers. You can also use Facebook’s platform to send marketing ads, promote content, or deliver customer service.
Businesses can build customer relationships through Instagram by posting helpful and relatable content and responding to customer inquiries. Like Facebook, Instagram can also help with customer service-related communications, allowing you to automate workflows using their Direct Message (DM) feature.
This social media platform is ideal for business-to-business (B2B) organizations. On LinkedIn, your business can post content that attracts your target audience to generate higher-quality leads. You can also use the platform to recognize employees, share business accomplishments, and foster networking and other engagement activities.
The Future of Digital Communication
Digital communication is constantly evolving as technology advances. Emerging trends like artificial intelligence have changed how businesses communicate with customers, with AI-powered chatbots capable of performing customer service tasks and answering customer inquiries.
AI is also making the workplace more efficient, with AI assistants automating workflows and enhancing collaboration between employees. Plus, AI makes it easier to collect and analyze customer data, so your business can make more personalized, data-driven marketing and communications decisions.
More businesses are now offering virtual reality (VR) experiences, allowing customers to test out products from the comfort of their homes while delivering a more immersive and engaging experience. An example of this? Using your smartphone to try on a new pair of glasses or view how a piece of furniture will look in a room.
Additionally, Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming more common. Homes often include smart devices like appliances, thermostats, and doorbell cameras. Businesses also use IoT devices to help manage inventory in warehouses and stay on top of equipment maintenance. These devices collect data and seamlessly communicate with other IoT applications for improved decision-making—without the need for human intervention.
Lastly, 5G technology is further enhancing the speed and efficiency of communication. These reliable networks make it possible to integrate more wearable devices into daily communication workflows. Instead of reaching for a computer or smartphone, users will be able to access data and communicate through smart watches, smart glasses, and other devices.
Boost Digital Communications With Podium
Improving customer communications and workplace collaboration is easier with Podium. Podium offers numerous digital communication solutions, including Podium Inbox. This centralized inbox organizes all your digital communication efforts in one place, making it easier to manage customer communications and improve customer experience. It also helps boost collaboration and productivity. Or, consider Podium’s AI Employee, which uses AI to power human-like conversations with your customers day and night. See how Podium can upgrade your digital communications today.
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